Comparative effects of acute and subacute lycopene administration on chromosomal aberrations induced by cisplatin in male rats

Lycopene is a natural carotenoid, free radical scavenger, and presents protective effects by inhibiting oxidative DNA damage. The objective of the current study was to investigate the cytogenetic effects of a single acute and four daily gavage administrations of lycopene, and to examine possible protective effects on chromosomal damage induced by the antitumor drug cisplatin (cDDP) in rat bone marrow cells. The animals were divided into treatment groups, with three lycopene doses in the acute treatment (2, 4, and 6 mg/kg b.w.), three lycopene doses in the subacute treatment (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mg/kg b.w.) with and without cDDP (5 mg/kg b.w. i.p.), and respective controls. The results indicated that lycopene is neither cytotoxic nor clastogenic when compared with the negative controls (P > 0.01). cDDP-treated animals submitted to acute and subacute treatments with different lycopene doses showed a significant reduction (p < 0.01) in the number of abnormal metaphases when compared with the animals treated only with cDDP. The protective effects of lycopene on cDDP-induced chromosomal damage may be attributed to its antioxidant activity. These results suggest that this carotenoid may prove useful in reducing some of the toxic effects associated with certain classes of chemotherapeutic agents. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Patients' experiences of peritoneal dialysis at home: a phenomenological approach

O objetivo deste estudo foi compreender a experiência da diálise peritoneal domiciliar, a partir da narrativa dos pacientes. A abordagem do estudo inspirou-se na fenomenologia hermenêutica de Paul Ricoeur. Foram entrevistados 19 pacientes na unidade de hemodiálise de um hospital público brasileiro, de março a setembro de 2009. As entrevistas foram orientadas pela questão: descreva sua experiência na diálise peritoneal. Os resultados desvelaram a percepção dos participantes sobre o significado da doença em suas vidas e as drásticas transformações pessoais sofridas nesse processo. Sentimentos de angústia e dor física foram acompanhados por importantes limitações pessoais e sociais, impostas pelo tratamento. Eles esperam por um futuro incerto, reconhecendo sua dependência da ajuda dos familiares e dos profissionais da saúde. Os resultados desvelam as dificuldades e a falta de perspectivas vividas pelos pacientes em diálise, demonstrando o papel crucial que cabe aos profissionais que os acompanham. Ajudá-los a desenvolver o autocuidado e maximizar sua qualidade de vida é prioridade na assistência a esses pacientes.

Saberes necessários para a docência na educação de jovens e adultos

The present thesis, entitled Knowledge for teaching: reflecting over the Youth and Adult Education, mainly considered common aspects concerning teachers knowledge and youth and adult education. It aimed to analyze, in partnership with its participants, the knowledge which is requested for teaching youth and adults. It focused on the following question: What teaching knowledge is necessary for the professionals who work during the first grades of elementary school with the youth and adults? The research took place in a school named Escola Municipal São Lucas, located in the city of Vitória da Conquista, state of Bahia, having as reference the discourses of four participants involved in the experience of research-formation. The collaborative approach, based on qualitative principles, was the adopted theoricalmethodological way, considering four actions: describing, informing, confronting and reconstructing. Collective interviews, study and reflection sessions, literacy practice observations, documental analysis and notes regarding field work were procedures adopted throughout the research. In order to analyze and organize data, we were supported by the discourse analysis, by Bakhtin (1997), specifically about the discussions around the ideas of theme and signification, which are concepts related to processual and dialectical analysis. The results and conclusions of the research make it possible to affirm that pedagogical practices, professional experiences, dialogues with other individuals and knowledge acquired at the university and at other learning environments are the participants main knowledge sources. When it comes to the local educational politics, it is observed contradiction between the participants desires regarding the school pedagogical routines and the proposals of the local government in relation to education. From our point of view, the knowledge identified and analyzed in this thesis demands the development of a diligent, technical, scientific and politically planned formative process (initial and continued), which requires fundamental public investments to recreate the educational politics and, consequently, the pedagogical experiences within the schools, contributing to the Youth and Adult Education professionalization process

Saberes docentes, alfabetização, respeito à infância: a criança de 6 anos no ensino fundamental

Éste trabajo se inserta en el ámbito de los cambios en la Enseñanza Fundamental (EF) brasileño que, por la Ley Federal n.º 11.114/2005 anticipa el EF para seis años de edad, y de la Ley n.º 11.274/2006 que amplia el mismo nivel de enseñanza de ocho para nueve años Tales cambios tienen sido respaldados por el argumento de la importancia de se anticipar y promover un mayor acceso a la educación y garantizar una permanencia bien sucedida del alumno en la etapa obligatoria de la Educación Básica. La inclusión de los niños de seis años en el EF puede ser considerada una conquista en el ámbito de las políticas públicas brasileñas destinadas a la educación de niños. Sin embargo, la sencilla simples anticipación/ampliación de matrículas en el EF puede constituirse en más una forma de exclusión, si no fueren garantizadas las condiciones necesarias para se ofrecer una educación de calidad que considere las peculiaridades de una práctica pedagógica de alfabetización con niños más jóvenes. Evidentemente, muchos son los factores que pueden influenciar la calidad de la educación y el tratamiento escolar financiamiento, gestión, organización del espacio escolar pero la acción del profesor, en ése sentido, es un factor primordial entre otros determinantes. Así pensando, definimos como objetivo de éste trabajo investigar saberes docentes requeridos de el profesor para el desarollo de una práctica pedagógica que tiene por meta la apropiación de la lengua escrita, por el niño de seis años recién-ingresa en la Enseñanza Fundamental respetando su condición de ser niño . Para tanto, en el ámbito del enfoque cualitativo de la encusta, realizamos un estudio de caso en dos instituciones públicas: Escola Municipal Professora Emilia Ramos y Centro Municipal de Educação Infantil Marise Paiva, ambas ubicadas en la Zona Este en la ciudad de Natal. De la análisis del contenido de los datos, emergió la temática Saberes Docentes para la Alfabetización de Niños de seis años en la Enseñanza Fundamental que, a la vez, cubre dos categorías de saberes, con suyas respectivas subcategorías: Saberes Docentes Transversales a las Práctica Pedagógica de Alfabetización y Saberes Docentes Específicos a la Práctica Pedagógica de Alfabetización. Entre tantos aprendizaje proporcionadas por el estudio, comprendemos que, sea en la Educação Infantil, sea en la Enseñanza Fundamental, el trabajo con el niño no debe constituirse en la negación de su infancia. Sin embargo, en se tratando de el EF, el esfuerzo para no desvirtuar la voluntad política de proporcionar al niño oportunidades de alfabetización debe ser redoblado, una vez que ésa etapa de la educación podrá ser la marca de un rico y agradable proceso de alfabetización, como puede ser motivo para que el niño se torne desinteresado y acobardado para aprender a leer y a escribir, si no fueren respetadas las necesidades y especificidades propias de ése momento de su desarollo. El estudio también ratificó nuestra comprensión de que la Alfabetización es un proceso peculiar, no constituyéndose, por lo tanto, en tarea simple para el docente, ni tampoco para el niño, visto que la lengua escrita, por si misma, ya es un objeto de estudio bastante complejo. Comprendemos, sin embargo, que esa complejidad no puede tornarse obstáculo para que, también en la escuela pública, ya a los seis años, se permita al niño un trabajo de calidad que tiene por meta su alfabetización, hasta porque, mientras participantes de una sociedad letrada, antes de ingresar a la escuela, los niños ya construyeran concepciones previas sobre la lectura y la escrita, a las cuales el profesor debe estar muy atento

A university extension course in leprosy: telemedicine in the Amazon for primary healthcare

There is a high prevalence of leprosy in the Amazon region of Brazil. We have developed a distance education course in leprosy for training staff of the Family Health Teams (FHTs). The course was made available through a web portal. Tele-educational resources were mediated by professors and coordinators, and included the use of theoretical content available through the web, discussion lists, Internet chat, activity diaries, 3-D video animations (Virtual Human on Leprosy), classes in video streaming and case simulation. Sixty-five FHT staff members were enrolled. All of them completed the course and 47 participants received a certificate at the end of the course. At the end of the course, 48 course-evaluation questionnaires were answered. A total of 47 participants (98%) considered the course as excellent. The results demonstrate the feasibility of an interactive, tele-education model as an educational resource for staff in isolated regions. Improvements in diagnostic skills should increase diagnostic suspicion of leprosy and may contribute to early detection.

Changes in apoptosis and Bcl-2 expression in human hyperglycemic, term placental trophoblast

Apoptosis and its associated regulatory mechanisms are physiological events crucial to the maintenance of placental homeostasis; imbalance of these processes, however, such as occurs under various pathological conditions, may compromise placenta function and, consequently, pregnancy success. Increased apoptosis occurs in the placentas of pregnant women with several developmental disabilities, while increased Bcl-2 expression is generally associated with pregnancy-associated tumors. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that apoptosis-associated disturbs might be involved in the placental physiopathology subjected to different maternal hyperglycemic conditions.Thus, in the present study we investigated and compared the incidence of apoptosis using TUNEL reaction and Bcl-2 expression, in term-placentas of normoglycemic, diabetic and daily hyperglycemic patients. Tissue samples were collected from 37 placentas, being 15 from healthy mothers with normally delivered healthy babies, and 22 from mothers with glucose disturbances. From these latter 22 patients, 10 showed maternal daily hyperglycemia and 12 were clinically diabetics. Both Bcl-2 expression and apoptotic DNA fragmentation were established and quantified in the trophoblasts of healthy mothers. Compared to these reference values, a higher apoptosis index and lower Bcl-2 expression were disclosed in the placentas of the diabetic women, while in the daily hyperglycemic group, values were intermediate between the diabetic and normoglycemic patients. The TUNEL/Bcl-2 index ratio in the placentas varied from 0.02 to 0.09 for pregnant normoglycemic and diabetic women, respectively, revealing a predominance of apoptosis in the diabetic group. Our findings suggest that hyperglycemia may be a key factor evoking apoptosis in the placental trophoblast, and therefore, is relevant to diabetic placenta function. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V.. All rights reserved.

Immunosuppressant Prograf (R) (Tacrolimus) Induces Histopathological Disorders in the Peritubular Tissue of Rat Testes

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Structural alterations in the seminiferous tubules of rats treated with immunosuppressor tacrolimus

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Area of Rests of Malassez in Young and Adult Rat Molars: Evidences in the Formation of Large Rests

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Vitamin B-12 Supplement Exerts a Beneficial Effect on the Seminiferous Epithelium of Cimetidine-Treated Rats

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Immunohistochemical detection of estrogen receptor beta in alveolar bone cells of estradiol-treated female rats: possible direct action of estrogen on osteoclast life span

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Mast cells and MMP-9 in the lamina propria during eruption of rat molars: quantitative and immunohistochemical evaluation

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Structural and functional changes in the alveolar bone osteoclasts of estrogen-treated rats

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Morphological evidences indicate that the interference of cimetidine on the peritubular components is responsible for detachment and apoptosis of Sertoli cells

Cimetidine, referred as antiandrogenic agent, has caused alterations in the seminiferous tubules, including alterations in the peritubular tissue and death of myoid cells by apoptosis. Regarding the structural and functional importance of the peritubular tissue for the maintenance of Sertoli cells (SC), we purpose to investigate the SC-basement membrane interface, focusing the morphological features of SC and their interaction with the basement membrane in the affected tubules by cimetidine. Ten animals were distributed into two groups, control (CG) and cimetidine (CmG) which received saline solution and 50 mg of cimetidine per kg of body weight, respectively, for 52 days. The testes were fixed, dehydrated and embedded for analyses under light and transmission electron microscopy. Paraffin sections were submitted to the TUNEL method; sections of testes embedded in glycol methacrylate were submitted to PAS method and stained by H&E for morphological and quantitative analyses of Sertoli Cells. In the CmG, the SC nuclei were positive to the TUNEL method and showed typical morphological alterations of cell death by apoptosis (from early to advanced stages). A significant reduction in the number of Sertoli Cells was probably due to death of these cells by apoptosis. A close relationship between SC nuclear alterations (including a high frequency of dislocated nuclei from the basal portion) and damage in the peritubular tissue was observed. The ultrastructural analysis showed a parallelism between the gradual advancement of apoptotic process in SC and detachment of the anchoring sites (hemidesmosomes) of SC plasma membrane from the lamina densa. The presence of portions of lamina densa underlying the detached hemidesmosomes indicates a continuous deposition of lamina densa, resulting in the thickening of the basal lamina. The results indicate a possible disarrangement of the SC cytoskeleton, including the focal adhesion structure. These alterations are related to SC apoptosis and probably result from disturbs induced by cimetidine on the peritubular tissue.

Late morfofunctional alterations of the Sertoli cell caused by doxorubicin administered to prepubertal rats

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)